General Aang
by zelos111
Summary: What if the Airnomads weren't defenseless? What if they fought back? Join Aang as he fights to keep the Airnomad nation from extinction. This will be a long one guys but only if you want me to write it.
1. Chapter 1

**Just wanted to start off by saying that I have been reading ALTA fanfiction for the longest time so I thought, hey why can't I right something. I have had this idea for the longest time but as you will probably figure out when you read this, I don't have exactly the best writing skills so constructive criticism would be great on how to make this story better. I would just like to say that I won't continue this story if my readers don't review that they want me to. I think my first chapter turned out okay but tell me what you think.**

**As a disclaimer: sadly, I don't own anything from Avatar the Last Airbender. (Wish I did, but I don't)**

Fire was everywhere, the front lines were being broken through, and it seemed as though all was lost for the last remaining Air Temple. They would have to retreat, but to where? As Aang found himself troubled by all these unanswered questions, he thought back to the moment that changed his life from being a normal airbending monk, to the almighty Avatar.

"Aang, the council of elders wants to have a word with you" said monk Giatso.

Aang was beginning to become confused as to why the elders wanted to see him almost every week. He mused that it must have been because he had just turned 16. But then again, he hadn't remembered any other 16 year old having to sit through all of these knowledge and strategy tests. This would come by the time you turned 20 because by then, you would be required to join the Airkingdom military.

You see, the Air Nomads had always been a peaceful and non-violent people. That is until one of the elders had a vision while meditating that a war was to soon be upon them. Almost immediately after monk Tetzu had the vision, he pushed for a vote to begin the construction of a secret army, an army only the Air nomads would be aware of. This decision was a hard one to make, but none the less it was a unanimous yes as monk Tetzu was never questioned.

At the time, Aang, as was all of the children his age, were confused as to why the army had no official leader to oversee everything as the other nations had. Avatar Roku had died many years ago, so Aang much like everyone else believed that the Avatar was reincarnated into the Air nomads, thus the council was waiting until he appeared to choose a leader. The discussion that Aang would soon have with Tetzu and the other council members would be much deeper than he previously had expected.

"Aang, please come in" calmly stated the only female council member whose name was Pia.

As Aang walked in, he soon became very nervous under the five pairs of eyes that were all now turned on him.

As he sat, Pia began the conversation: "As all the council members now understand, you have turned 16 yes?"

"I turned 16 less than one month ago" proudly stated Aang. (This was also the time where Aang was given his airbender tattoos)

Soon after he pronounced that he had turned 16, a silence ensued. "Aang, could you tell me what these are in front of you?" Laid out in front of him were some very old looking toys that Aang immediately found familiar.

"These were my favorite toys when I was little" he said as he quickly picked up his favorite spinning top and examined it as if he was reliving a moment in his childhood.

He soon snapped out of the daze when Tetzu began to speak for the first time during the meeting. "These are all relics from the past Avatar and you chose them from among thousands of toys."

"I chose them because they looked fun" said Aang, still completely unaware as to where the council members were going with this.

"No" said Tetzu. "You chose them because they were familiar to you."

"I don't understand." said a now very confused Aang.

"What Tetzu is trying to say Aang, is that you are the Avatar" calmly stated Pia.

At first Aang was completely blown back, but soon he began to laugh. "You guys are hilarious, me, the Avatar?"

"I know it is hard to accept, but there is a war coming. We fear that it will come to our doorstep, we need you Aang to lead our army, to guide our people."

"No. you guys must have been mistaken, I am not the Avatar, I can't lead an army" said a now almost hysterical Aang. Soon after they had calmed the newly realized Avatar down, they began to discuss his future. They soon decided that Aang would begin his military and leadership training here at his home, the Western Air Temple. After he understood his new position as the general of the Air Kingdom army, he would begin to master the elements so that he might become the Avatar he was expected to be.

As Aang left the meeting, he thought that things couldn't get any worse for him. But sadly, just a few hundred miles away from the temple, Fire Lord Sozin was already beginning to plan his invasion and destruction of the Air nomads completely.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, I am actually shocked with the amount of people that started to read this story so I decided to post another chapter pretty quickly, I have the next few chapters already written, but guys please leave comments on the story, ways I can improve, ideas, things I did right. I love hearing from you guys so once again, unless I hear from you guys I probably will not post the next chapter. :p Not a threat, more like a promise. On to the disclaimer!**

******Sadly, I don't own anything from Avatar the Last Airbender. (Wish I did, but I don't)**

Ch.2

As Aang walked back to his room from his meeting with the council members his emotions ran wild. "How am I supposed to be the Avatar" Aang said aloud but really meant to say in his head. Fortunately for him, Monk Giatso was waiting in his room to discuss that very topic with him.

"Hello Aang" hummed a very happy Monk Giatso, but Aang just seemed to ignore his greeting and just decided to flop in his bed. Yet Monk Giatso continued, "I hear the council finally told you that you were the Avatar. But it seems as though you are unhappy…"

"I know I should be overjoyed but I just don't think I'm ready to handle all of the responsibilities of being the Avatar yet. I mean, yah I'm all powerful and everything but, I have a duty to protect the world and keep the peace. If that weren't enough, the council also gave me the responsibility to lead and protect my people. I just don't think I can do it is all."

Monk Giatso said nothing for a few moments, but after he contemplated, he took a breath and began to speak: "I know this is not what you want to hear, but you were destined to be the Avatar Aang, you have the unfathomable knowledge and strength from all of your past lives yet you are still humble and loving. For these and many more reasons, I still believe that you have the makings to be the greatest Avatar yet."

Aang just looked at Monk Giatso as if he was still unsure of himself. It was after this that Monk Giatso said: "do not worry young Avatar, as long as you need me, I will always be with you to guide, to give advice, and to keep you grounded in your core beliefs not as the Avatar, but as Aang."

After this, Aang stood up from his bed and ran up to his father figure and gave him a hug. "Thank you Monk Giatso, I don't think I would be able to do this without your daily advice and guidance" said Aang who was happy for the first time since the meeting.

"Now get some rest Aang, you have to meet with your second in command tomorrow so you can get a better feel for what your duties will be" said monk Giatso.

Aang sighed, "I guess tomorrow is as good a day as any other to start…"

"Goodnight Aang" hummed Monk Giatso.

As Aang lay in his bed that night, he did not dream of the responsibilities that he would have to face come morning, but of who he could count on to always be there for him when he needed it.

Aang stood in awe over what looked to be an encampment of about 400 Airbender soldiers who still looked to be shaking off the effects of the early morning. Aang was so distracted by the site before him that he did not even notice a man walk right up to him.

"Ah, you must be Avatar Aang. My name is Kenji and I will be your second in command as appointed by the council". Aang turned around to face Kenji. Kenji looked to be about 28 with short brown hair. He was about Aang's height and he mirrored Aang's style of clothing. He preferred to wear a light amount of armor, brown boots, and a medium length orange cape. The armor of the Airkingdom army was of a deep orange with lighter shades of tan and orange throughout. The Airkindom insignia was on his breast plate as well as his belt and shoulder pads.

After sizing Kenji up Aang said: "it is nice to meet you Commander Kenji; I assume you are the one who will be showing me around and teaching me the ropes?"

"You are correct Avatar Aang, as of right now you are General Aang to the Airkingdom, but Avatar Aang to the world. I will be introducing you to the men and bringing you up to speed over the next few weeks with how this army works" said a very jubilant Kenji.

"Please commander, just call me Aang."

"This camp is far larger than I could have ever imagined, there seems to be so much activity for an army so inactive" said a confused Aang.

"General, I feel the same way as you do, but the council wants this army prepared for something. When they discussed it with me, they were very vague and unrevealing. All I know is that it is something scary enough to even frighten the unshakable council" said Kenji.

"I know Kenji, I felt the same way, the council was very vague but I feel drawn to immediately believe them and prepare for whatever is coming at us" declared Aang. At this, Kenji just solemnly nodded.

As Kenji had just about finished explaining almost every aspect of the camp to Aang from the Bison houses to the Armory, he decided he would save the best for last. "For our last stop General, I present to you the eating grounds" pronounced Kenji with a wave of his hand.

For Aang, this was the best news all day because he hadn't eaten since breakfast. As both Kenji and Aang took their respective meals to their table, they were interrupted by what appeared to be a 20 year old girl.

"Hi, my name is Tia."

"Hello Lt, this is General Aang" greeted Kenji.

"Oh, hi Tia, nice to meet you" Aang said while smiling. Tia was a young and happy spirited Lt. he seemed as though did not have a care in the world. She had hazel hair that went down to about her shoulders and preferred not to where armor but regular Airnomad clothing. (Sort of what Aang wears in the show)

"It's good to meet you General, I was assigned to your squad" stated Tia.

"It is good to have you on my team than" Aang said as he then proceeded to turn to Kenji. "When do I meet the rest of my squad?"

Kenji smiled and said "not for a few weeks I'm afraid, people are still being transferred from other Airtemple bases."

"That makes sense, won't you joins us to eat Tia" questioned Aang. Tia could not refuse and decided to begin talking to Aang about how his training as the Avatar had been going for him. When she heard that he had not begun training in the other bending arts, she almost immediately asked if he would be willing to spar with her, to which he immediately answered yes. In all honesty, Aang knew he had become a little rusty with his Airbending skills, so he decided a sparring match would quickly whip him back into shape. They both decided that they would spar after they had both finished dinner over in the practice field.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, this weekend has been one where I have had a decent amount of time to update everyday. I am in college so I do have a lot of other papers and things to do so I won't be updating as much during the week as college takes priority over fanfiction writing. As a side note, I know my first few chapters have been short and they will continue to be short for the next few as they don't really flow together into large chapters, but don't fret, once I have the characters and direction of the story put together, I will start making the chapters longer. Don't forget to read and review, I love hearing opinions and what you think I should add to the story. I also want to just say that my grammar may be a little off during my chapters, that just comes from me being a terrible proof reader so sorry in advance. Onto the disclaimer:**

**I do not own Avatar the last airbender...**

As the trio made their way over to the sparring field, they talked about the level of Airbending skill each had been able to reach. Kenji proudly stated that he had completed 28 of the 36 Airbending levels. Tia said that she had only been able to complete 25 but would be soon be completing her 26th. As they both asked Aang what his level was, they quickly were told that he mastered all 36 of the bending levels at the young age of 12.

"Master Giatso always said that I was very good at Airbending but I truly didn't understand what that meant until it was explained to me at an older age" explained Aang.

"That means you are a master, I don't think even me and Kenji could take you on even together and win" said a slightly disheartened Tia.

Aang just chuckled and said: "Believe me Tia, you will give me a run for my money when we fight, I probably will not even win." At this both Tia and Kenji were in complete shock. Before they could disagree Aang explained to them that he had not had time to Airbend in quite a long time, ever since his meetings with the elders began.

As both Tia and Aang took their respective places on the sparring field a crowd began to form, wondering what was going on.

"Now Tia, do not hold back on me, give me everything you got" said a battle ready Aang.

Tia took her stance and said: "I would never hold back, even in a sparring match". At this, Kenji stood in the middle and began the match.

Tia was the first to make a move with a strong air slice towards Aang's midsection. However Aang saw this coming and had already jumped high into the air easily avoiding the attack while at the same time, sending his own wave of air at Tia. Tia ran towards his attack and ran right through it as if it didn't even faze her. When Aang saw this, he knew that to win this match, he would need brains not brawns. As the match continued each person began parrying each-others moves as if they instantly knew what the other person was about to do. Wave after wave, air slice after air slice met in the middle of the arena and to spectators, it seemed as though the match would never end, but to those actually fighting, they knew their opponent was quickly tiring. To try and end the match before she was completely out of it, Tia moved in to begin close combat. She began swiftly swinging her staff and feet at Aang with perfect grace. Though Aang was fast, he did sustain a few hits, but before she was able to do any serious damage, Aang surprised her with a current of air that appeared to be sent using his whole body, in fact it was in the shape of his body, and it was powerful enough to weaken her stance for a few seconds, seconds which Aang took advantage of. Aang quickly moved in and tripped Tia up making her fall to the ground. As Tia looked up she found a staff was pointed at her and she was forced to surrender.

After cheers from the crowd were over, Aang helped Tia up from her position on the ground. "I thought I actually had you for a second there General" said a very tired Tia.

"You did actually, if it wasn't for that last airmove, I probably would have lost" said an equally tired Aang.

Kenji ran up and congratulated both Tia and Aang for the amazing performance and together they walked back to the housing portion of the camp.

Kenji and Tia wished Aang a good night and went off to bed themselves.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, I know I have been posting a new chapter everyday now, but I have found that I have had so much extra free time with college and all that I decided to post some more. Hope you don't mind. :) Thanks to everyone who has read the story up until now, I am actually suprised at the number of people who have read this so quickly. So just keep reading and reviewing, tell me of anything I can fix or change. Or maybe anything that you would want me to add to the story that you might think would make it better. As always I do not have the best grammar and spelling but I am trying. On to the disclaimer!**

**I do not own anything from avatar the last airbender (Not even that cool new pic that is for this story) :)**

Ch.4

The next few weeks were filled with both Kenji and Tia showing Aang around the base. The trio quickly became friends and Aang was glad to have them. During these weeks, the other half of Aang's team arrived at the western Airtemple. Shu arrived first; he was a tall Airbender with pail skin who looked to be about 25. He had black hair as he preferred to allow his hair to grow out much like many of the military did.

Soon after Shen arrived, instead of being tall, he looked to be no older than Aang, holding many of his still boyish features. He had black hair but it was short and well kept. He stated that the council believed that he was skilled enough to enter the military at age 15, though Kenji was skeptical, after a performance from Shen, his mind was almost immediately changed.

During this time, a problem arose between the communications from the Northern Airtemple. The Western Airtemple had not heard from the Northern Airtemple in over two weeks which was very strange as communication between temples was of utmost importance to the four temples.

To solve this, a meeting between Aang and the council was called.

"How is your integration into the leadership of the military going Avatar Aang?" said a very serious Setzu.

"I have developed bonds in my squad as well as with other leaders and ranking officers, I feel very confident with how the progress of my integration is going. I may not know all of the ins and outs of my base yet, but that will come in time I hope. Besides, I have people to depend on for guidance and help" said a relaxed Aang.

"That is a relief to hear you say that Avatar" said Pai.

"Avatar Aang, we have called you here for a reason, we have a problem and we are going to need your help to rectify it" said Setzu.

"Avatar Aang, we are deeply trouble as to the reason why are sister temple has not sent out any news or information for weeks" said Pai. When Aang nodded, Pai continued: "Normally, we hear from all of the temples quite frequently, but as of late, the Northern Airtemple has stopped all communication altogether. We need you and a team to make sure everything is alright and to determine if the Northern Airtemple needs any help. The council has agreed that you should bring as many people as you need on this mission" concluded Pai.

Aang contemplated what she had said for a few moments. It was after this that he asked the one question that all the members knew he would ask: "Do you think something bad happened to them?"

"As of right now, we have not ruled out the possibility, but this might be as simple as bad weather preventing the communication, but I must warn you Aang: be careful. The council still feels that Setzu's visions could still come to be."

"I understand council, I will brief my commander on the mission and he will pull together a team to visit the Northern Airtemple, will that be all?" said a now determined Aang. When all of the council members nodded in agreement, Aang walked directly over to Kenji's tent and filled him in on what transpired at the meeting.

Kenji told Aang that he would form a team that would be prepared to leave for the Northern Airtemple in the morning. With this, Aang decided to retire for the night, thinking about all that was happening to him and about the mission that would begin the next morning.

As Aang walked out of his tent in the morning, he held something that those who had been around him the most had never seen in him. What they saw that morning before they were to go on the mission to check on their sister tribe was a determined General. Aang was just doing this to inspire the people around him as well as to protect himself with a false layer of confidence. If Aang were to tell the truth, he was very nervous this morning. As Kenji walked up to him, Aang instantly new that he saw through his facade.

"Good morning General" said Kenji as he began to walk along side of him towards the Bison housing.

When Aang only replied with the necessary good morning in return, Kenji thought that he might take this conversation at a different angle. "You know General, on my first mission as a commander, I was probably the most nervous person you would ever meet. Scratch that, I was a basket case. I was so afraid that I let it control me and you know what happened?"

"What happened Commander" said a now very interested Aang.

"I screwed up, I was so nervous that I tripped over my own feet and instead of hitting one of the bandits that we were seent to uncover and disband as I hoped I would, I wound up hitting one of my own men" said I now frowning Kenji.

"You aren't really inspiring me with this conversation Kenji" frowned Aang.

Kenji continued: "Oh yah.. Sorry.. What I mean to say is that I got over my fears and look at me now".

"I guess your right Kenji, I just have to get over my fears and just get through this first mission, besides, all we are doing is checking up on another temple. Shouldn't be that hard..."

"Nah General, we will be there and back before you know it" said a confident Kenji.

At this, Aang smiled and thanked Kenji for the pep talk.

"The stables for the bison that we will be taking is just down this hill" said Kenji. After Aang nodded in affirmation Kenji continued. "I pulled together a team of about 15. We will be taking three bison over to the Northern Airtemple, so it'll be about a day trip. With any luck we should be there by around tomorrow afternoon. Me, Lt. Tia, Corporal Shu, and Private Shen will be joining you on your bison, while the other two teams of five will be lead by Lt. Sen and Po. They are some of the finest men and women we have in this base so I doubt that we will have any trouble at all completing our task."

"Just one question Commander, why do we need so many people if we are just checking up on the temple" asked Aang.

"The council requested that we take a larger team for this mission, they are pretty uneasy about the whole issue and I have learned to never question that council's judgement" stated the Commander.

At this Aang just nodded and walked the short distance over to the stables where the rest of the team was waiting for him.

As he walked over to the group of 13, he spoke with the commander at his side. "I am sure all of you have been briefed on the mission, but I will repeat it for you. We are going to the Northern Airtemple to ascertain why they have not kept contact with us. I am sure this problem will be easily fixable and we will be back home in no time. The trip should be no longer than a day or two to the temple if weather permits. Everyone stay on there toes and keep each other safe as always"

After Aang spoke, the small group nodded in agreement and walked to their respective bison.

As Aang walked to his, he was surprised to find that he was licked by the creature repeatedly. As he wiped the saliva off of himself, he found that his team was laughing and he could not help but laugh himself.

"That means he likes you General" chuckled Tia.

At this Shu spoke: "his name is Appa, he is a strong bison and will get us to where we need to go in no time."

"I think I like him already" said Aang as he petted the great beast.

"Everyone saddle up" said the Commander and with those words, they were off.

The first day and night of traveling went without issue, they flew about half way across the waters between the fire nation and the Northern Airtemple. When it was getting later they decided to camp on an uninhabited island for the night. In the morning Private Shen woke everyone up from their beds with haste, he seemed very worried about something.

As Aang walked out of his tent, (Shen was practically dragging him), he noticed what Shen was looking at. There appeared to be off in the distance a very large fleet of ships. One of the scouts said that the fleet held the insignia of the fire nation on it.

"I wonder what a fire nation fleet is doing in Earth Kingdom waters..." pondered Aang. "What do you think of this Kenji?" continued Aang.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good" interrupted Shu.

"Why do you say that Shu?" asked Tia.

"Well, what reason would a heavily armed fleet have to be in a friendly nation's waters? The only two reasons that I can think of is that the Firenation was either provoked into those waters by the Earth kingdom, or the Firenation wanted to do the provoking themselves."

"Are you saying what I think you are saying Shu?" asked a now very serious Aang.

"I do General, either way from my perspective means war..."

At this, everyone's faces got a little more solemn.

After a short silence, Aang decided to hold a meeting with his officers in his small tent.

"General, I think it would be best if we sent one team back on a bison to the Western Airtemple to tell the council of what we just saw this morning, this would give the council time to prepare and discuss our next course of action" said Kenji.

"My team will go" said Lt. Po. At this Aang just nodded in agreement.

"My team will continue to follow your team General to the Northern Airtemple" said Lt. Sen.

"Once we finish up our investigation with the Northern Airtemple, we will fly back to the Western Airtemple where hopefully the council would have had time to discuss and plan our next course of action would be" added Commander Kenji.

"This sounds like a solid plan everyone, get your teams back on your bison so that we can leave immediately for a respective destinations, I do not want to have any delays, this is to important" said Aang.

Once Aang had finished speaking, he waved for everyone to begin preparations to leave.

Once they had all wished each other luck, they went their separated ways; Lt. Po's team to the West and Aang's team to the North.

After a few hours the started to see Mountains off in the distance. This symbolized that their journey was almost done.

At this Aang was thankful because he was beginning to get a little antsy for what issue they would be greeted with.

As they saw the last Mountain range that was between them and the view of the Northern Airtemple, they all sighed a relief that they journey was coming to an end.

Aang urged Appa to move a little faster so they would be able to make it over the last Mountain range but as he did, he and his team saw something that they were not prepared for, something that would change their lives forever.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I know it's been a whole 5 days since I updated but I have been pretty busy with reports, tests, and quizzes. Just know that I will update a lot during the weekends and maybe a little bit during the weekdays if I get a break. The story is finally starting to open up, but I am curious as to what type of story you want from this concept idea, so send me pm's or just review the chapter with ideas. I think I know where I want to go with this, but I don't want to take it somewhere you guys might not like. I also was curious if you guys wanted me to bring other nations into this story like the Earthkingdom and the Water tribes. Completely up to you guys, just thought I would throw that out there. So tell me if you enjoyed this chapter or not. This chapter was more character development and a little drama if you squint but I think it turned out ok. On to the disclaimer:**

**I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. **

As Appa finally was able to fly over the last mountain range before they would make it to the Northern Airtemple, everyone's faces turned from overjoyed, to shocked, to complete sadness. What greeted them was not the temple that they all knew and loved, but rather a temple half destroyed, burning, and billowing smoke.

Initially, everyone was at a loss of words, but when the initial shock was overcome, Aang motioned for Appa and the rest of his team to land on what was left of the bison grounds. When Appa touched ground, everyone immediately jump off and started to examine the area.

"General, what happened hear" said Kenji.

"I don't know Commander, but however did this is going to pay for it dearly" said a now angered Aang.

Everyone turned to Shen when he began to start crying saying "This was my home! All of my friends and mentors lived here!"

Everyone just stood for a second, not knowing what to say to comfort the morning boy. It was at this point that Tia's motherly instincts kicked in, she began to attempt to console him. "Hey, just because the temple looks destroyed didn't mean everyone was killed in the onslaught, we are Airbenders, we can run you know" she smiled.

"I guess" Shen said,

"But still, most of them probably didn't" Shu said without even thinking. The second he said this, everyone just glared at him saying through their eyes _just shut it._

"Let's not lose all hope here guys, there might be people still left in hiding here, maybe they can tell us what happened" said Aang.

"Your right General" said a now determined Kenji.

At this Aang turned and spoke to everyone: "We need to check the temple for survivors, if there are any, bring them back here so we can figure out what is going on. Maybe get some answers."

There were so many places that Airbenders could feasibly hide at in the Temple that everyone had to break up into groups of two. Each team decided to search a different area of the temple.

Aang chose the Shen to be on his team because he had an idea that might be able to help connect with the still morning private.

As they were walking towards the sleeping quarters on the second level, Aang spoke: "You know I lost people that I cared about recently as well".

At this Shen turned to Aang, a little perplex when he said: "I don't remember a large group of people dying in an accident recently…"

"I didn't mean that they had died, just left me" said Aang. When the private just nodded in understanding, he continued: "I never said this to anyone, but when the council told me that I was the Avatar and word got out about it to my friends, they began to look at me a different way. These were people that I had known since the day I could walk. Just a day previous to them telling me, we were practicing our Airbending and playing around. When word got out that I was the Avatar, they all looked at me differently, like I couldn't be touched, like I was foreign to them even though I was the same Aang just a different title. But none the less, people no longer wanted anything to do with me. I felt so lost and alone, like I was in a pit that I could not possibly climb out of, but you know what happened to me?

"What General?" said a now very interested Shen.

Aang just smiled at this and said: "I found new friends that cared about me more when I joined the military. You, Kenji, Tia, and Shu. You guys are my friends and family now and you know what, I would do anything to protect you guys, I will always be there to talk to you and fight alongside of you. I am not just your leader Shen, I am your friend. I know this is going to be tough for you, but just remember that you have your team to depend on for support."

At this, I few stray tears trickled down Shen's face.

"Everything will be ok Shen." Said Aang.

"Now I know it will" smiled Shen.

"Hey Tia, wait up" screamed Kenji and Shu as they raced to catch up with the seemingly un-tired Tia.

The trio had been running around the first floor sleeping areas for hours now, the Northern Airtemple was known as the largest of the Airtemples, and for good reason. People could get lost in the labyrinth of hallways and stair cases that made up much of the Northern Airtemple. If you did not know where you were going that is.

As both Kenji and Shu caught up to Tia who had mysteriously stopped for no apparent reason, they began to question her without noticing what she was staring at.

"What made you stop?" said a panting Shu.

"Yah, we have been running after you for at least 30 minutes and when we are just about finished, you decide to give us a break?" said an equally tired Kenji.

"Commander, Corporal, look at this." Tia said as she pointed towards a charred Airbender monk's body. If the smell of burnt skin and death was not enough, they could clearly see that it was a young boy, probably no older than 12 or 13 that was killed. At this site, both Shu and Kenji faced away from the body ready to throw up from it. Despite their reaction towards it, Tia walked over into the room as she saw something gleaming in the late afternoon sun. As she got a better look at it, it appeared to be a man in a red uniform sprawled out with a dressing on top of him, which clearly seemed to be his cause of death.

When Tia was right on top of the man, she finally realized what she was looking at, it was a Firenation soldier. The Firenation attack the Northern Airtemple!

"Sir! I found something, and I don't think you are going to like it" said Tia as she removed the helmet as evidence of what she saw, so that she might spare the two outside the room the site for a second time. When Tia showed Kenji the Firenation helmet, they all knew what they had to do.

"We have to show this to the General, he will know what to do" said Kenji.

When the 4 search parties had returned they each showed what they had found. Two of the search parties had found only charred rooms and hallways. These two teams included Aang's. The Lt's team found what appeared to be a spear that was not from any Airkingdom weapons depot. The most important discovery was what Kenji's group had found though.

"General, we found this helmet in one of the rooms near a dead Airnomad child" said a serious Kenji.

"This is Firenation!" exclaimed Aang. When everyone just nodded, Aang continued: "That explains the large fleet that passed by us while we were on the remote island resting a few days ago."

"Sir, what do you think we should do, this was clearly an unprovoked attack? The Firenation did this because they must be planning on starting another war!" said a frantic Shen.

"Easy Private" said Kenji, "I don't think this is the time to start making rash conclusions. I think we should fly as quickly back to the Western Airtemple as possible. The other team that we sent back must have gone through that fleet of ships thinking it was friendly, we do not even know if they were able to deliver the message."

"I agree with Kenji on this one, I think we should return back to base and inform the council of our discovery and plan our next course of action soon after. If the Firenation wants a war and they refuse to back down, than they will get their war, only we will bring the fight to them" concluded the General.

"Then it's decided" said Tia as she joined into the conversation for the first time. "We will return to the Western Airtemple."

The group decided that it would be best to travel first thing in the morning because it was getting too late in the day to make it back safely in two days.

As the group camp for the night, few could sleep. Everyone believed that the ground that they were resting on was cursed in some way, perhaps it wasn't a curse at all, maybe it was due to the amount of lives that where lost at the temple that caused everyone to be unsettled, but regardless it was going to be a long night.

As most people began to rest up for the night, Tia decided to stay awake, just poking at the fire in deep contemplation.

Noticing this, Kenji began to walk towards her. As he sat down next to her, no words were initially spoken.

"I can't believe all of these people are just gone" quietly spoke Tia, just barely above a whisper.

Kenji just sat in silence for a moment, not really sure how he could convey any sort of comfort to her. It was at this point that he began to talk, not really knowing what he was saying: "Just because the Airnomads who were at this Temple are dead, does not mean that they are completely lost. These people still live in our hearts, encouraging us to fight for them, to fight for the ones still living, to never surrender, and to always have hope. They are our energy that we draw from within us. They are not gone Tia, they are still right here" Kenji said as he pointed to her heart.

After she nodded, a small stream of tears began to stream down her face.

At this Kenji quickly enveloped her in a hug repetitively saying: "Everything will be ok Tia."

When she was finished crying, she told Kenji of how she had been trying her best to be strong all day, she used her apparent unending energy as a mask of what her true emotions were. She felt as though her heart had been ripped out of her chest, that all of these people where just senselessly murdered.

At this Kenji said: "We will get to the bottom of this and we will make the Firenation pay for this if it was indeed them who destroyed this place."

"After she seemed relatively better, Kenji left her for bed with one last small hug. When he released her, Tia said this through a small smile on her face: "Thanks Kenji for being such a good friend, I don't know what I'd do without you."

At this Kenji just smiled and said: "You're not so bad yourself there Tia, get some rest. Ok?"

Tia just smiled and nodded as she turned and went to her respective tent.

As morning came, everyone piled onto their respective bison and where quickly off, not wanting to waste any time. As midday rolled around, the two bison had almost made it to the last mountain range between them and the clear expanse of ocean.

Aang could already smell the clear and crisp ocean breeze from over the mountain and could not wait to lay eyes on it again. They were slowly ascending over the mountain when they heard from just in front of them.

"Open Fire!"

Aang's quick reflexes and a little bit of luck allowed him to avoid the first fire ball. But even though his team avoided the first, did not mean the other team did. As the second bison was plummeting to the earth, Aang already knew that they were in for the fight of their lives.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry that I haven't really been updating that much, but with so many papers to write in college, this story has kinda been taking a back seat in my life. I will keep writing it, it just might take me a little longer to write each chapter. So once again, read and review. Tell me what you like and what you don't like. **** Onto the disclaimer:**

**I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Aang took a quick glance back at the still plummeting bison whose occupants still held on for dear life. As he looked forward again, he quickly had to pull on the reigns of Appa to barely avoid another flaming projectile. It was then that Aang began to call over his shoulder, giving orders.

"Shen, Shu, Tia, and Kenji!" said Aang. When he had their attention he continued: "stabilize that bison and get it to the ground safely by slowing it's decent with your Airbending, I'll try and distract or destroy some of these battlements."

At this, everyone nodded in affirmation and began to take to their gliders to make it to the bison before it crashed to the ground, killing all of its occupants.

Kenji led the group still dodging fireballs as they were trying to make it to the bison. When they had finally reached it, Kenji, Tia, Shu, and Shen all took individual sides of the bison. Once they had done this, they started to blow gusts of air towards the ground, affectively allowing the bison to glide safely to it. When the small team of four successfully placed the bison on the ground, they sighed in relief.

Kenji, concluding that their job had been completed, began to assess the injuries to the bison, while the remainder of the team aided the 5 occupants who were still shaken up greatly by the ordeal.

As all of this had been going on, Aang had been busy with his own mission. Distracting the battlements was harder than he had first thought it was going to be. As he brought Appa closer and closer to them, it started to become almost impossible to dodge all of the balls of fire. Coming to this conclusion, Aang made a split second decision saying: "Appa, get out of here, I can handle it." After he finished his orders, he swiftly jumped off of Appa, straight towards the battlements where he knew a fight was prepared to meet him.

As Aang landed near the first battlement, he used his Airbending to force all of the surrounding men to the ground, giving him enough time to damage the first battlement with little to no resistance. He knew after the first one, that it would be all fight from there on out.

As Aang began to make his way over to the second battlement, two rows of Firebenders blocked his path. When Aang saw this, he raised his hands up in a standard Airbending defensive stance.

Soon after, he began to speak: "Why are you attacking us, we have done nothing to provoke you, we are not your enemies. The Airnomad people are a peaceful race, we would do you no harm, but yet you decimate the Northern Airtemple and attack my team. Explain yourselves!"

At this speech, the person he appeared to be in command of the group spoke saying: "Firelord Sozin commands it, thus we obey. Soon, the Airnomads will be no more. Hopefully, the Avatar along with them."

At this statement, Aang stood in utter shock. _How could this be happening, why would he want to kill us? Because of me._ He concluded in his mind. In retaliation, he spoke: the airnomads will not just lie down and die!"

The commander just laughed saying: "If the rest of your people are as easy to kill as this entire temple was, than it should be no problem for us. Pathetic."

Aang was so angry that he could no longer control himself, he eyes and tattoos began to glow, and his face was contorted in pure fury. "How dare you kill my people and mock their memory!"

The Firenation soldiers had never seen anything like this, especially from any Airnomad. At this display of anger, the soldiers decided to advance, thinking that they should be easily being able to comfort and defeat one simple teenager.

What the soldiers did not know was that Aang no longer had any control over his body.

"What's wrong with me" said a confused Aang. He felt angry at the soldier's one minute and then detached from his body another. He had been watching the soldiers advance on his body, but could do nothing but watch the events unfold.

Aang's body, furious at the soldiers, began to use the soldier's element against them. When the soldiers started to fire large balls of fire at Aang, his body simply deflected it as if it was nothing. After a minute of allowing this to go on, Aang's body began to unleash his own ferry attacks. The difference was his were much stronger. His body took a stance, one that he had never seen before, and began to separate the ground underneath his feet. Once it was significantly opened, he took a deep breath and began to bend lava at the battlements, melting them to nothing.

At this display of power, the soldiers began to retreat. The furious Avatar was not done with the soldiers yet, he would not let them go so easily. He levitated next to a large tree and sucked all of the water out of it.

Once he gathered a large ball of it, he sent it flowing around his body, freezing the water as it went, effectively impaling or otherwise trapping the soldiers.

The commander of the platoon begged for mercy, but when Aang's body walked up to him, about to deliver the final blow, Kenji's voice was heard off in the distance.

"Stop General, you'll do something you'll regret!" said a sprinting Kenji, with Tia, Shen, and Shu in toe.

At the firm yet familiar voice commanding him to stop, Aang's body stopped glowing. Soon after this, from lack of energy, Aang fainted onto the ground.

As the team looked at the carnage around them, they had no idea how to take it. Soldiers lay sprawled on the ground, impaled or otherwise trapped in ice. The battlements were also not much better off, they seemed to be completely out of commission, either melted down or blown to pieces by air or earth.

At the sight of this, Tia spoke: "Who did this, not the General right?"

"I knew he was the Avatar, but I did not know he was capable of this kind of power…" said Shen.

Once they noticed a collapsed Aang on the floor, they immediately picked him up and carried him back to a now returning Appa so that he could rest and recover, maybe he could tell them what they had just saw was later on.

"It is probably some Avatar secret that only Avatars know about" said Shu.

"There isn't any use guessing about it, when the General wakes up, we will just have to ask him. He has always been truthful with us, he is bound not to change anytime soon on that policy" said Kenji.

Once Aang was placed safely on Appa, Kenji began to discuss with the remainder of the team what they should do.

"We obviously have to return to the Western Airtemple to tell them about the Firenation's plans and what we have seen here" said Tia.

"I agree with you on that Tia, but this issue is, what we do with all of these soldiers that we captured. There has to be about 10 in all that we now have in our care. It's not like we can just leave them here to potentially give Intel back to their higher ups" said Shen.

"I think we should split the teams up into two, the Generals team will head straight back to the Western Airtemple while my team heads over into the Earthkingdom on foot to transport these Firenation soldiers to a prison there" finished Lt. Po.

"That could be dangerous; those Firebenders far outnumber your team. I don't really see any other option though. The bison that you were on still needs to heal, so going on foot might be your only option right now" said Shu.

"Then it's settled, Lt. Po's team will head into the earth kingdom on foot to bring these men to justice. Once they have finished that mission, than they will return to the Western Airtemple" concluded Kenji.

At this, everyone nodded and were all getting ready to leave, when Tia asked the question everyone wanted to ask. "Has the General woken up yet, or is his still not responsive?"

"He has not woken up yet, but I am sure that he will wake up soon, hopefully before we return to the Western Airtemple" concluded Kenji.

"I guess we will leave in the morning, though" said Tia.

Everyone nodded and went to bed.

**Edit:**

**Hey all! I'll be stopping this story for a little while due to some things coming up, but will be starting up again dec/jan.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, haven't actually posted anything for this story in months. Lol I actually got over the rude comments and started a whole new story called Changing Waters which has been widely excepted by those who are reading it. I had a short flare or inspiration for the story, so I decided to write the next chapter for it… So… here it is: Also, as a side note: Read and review. It'll tell me if you guys still want me to write this one or if you want me to devote my time to Changing Waters alone. Thanks all.**

"Ugh, where am I?" Aang stated to no one in particular.

"You're on Appa actually." Replied Tia.

As Aang inspected his surroundings, he realized that he was indeed back on Appa. _But how did I get here? _

"How are you feeling General?" Asked Kenji who appeared to be guiding Appa at the moment.

"I honestly don't know, I feel really light headed and weak. What happened back there? Last I remember, a firenation officer was bad mouthing the air nomads, and then it all went blank after that."

"It's kinda hard to explain sir…" Tia hesitantly began.

"I need to know what happened Tia, please tell me what happened…" Aang pleaded.

Tia just sighed, but before she could continue, Kenji spoke for her: "I didn't hear what you were talking about, but all of the sudden, your face contorted into that of an enraged man. Soon after, you stumbled slightly and then your eyes and tattoos glowed. You soon lifted into the air and began to destroy the battlements and knocked out most of the firenation officer's men. It was the most amazing display of bending that I have ever seen performed."

Tia interjected: "We were hoping that you would be able to fill us in a little, why were you glowing and why did you faint right afterwards?"

Aang shrugged a little, leaning heavily on the back of Appa's saddle: "I don't remember any of what you just told me, what I do know is that it was probably the Avatar spirit taking over."

"Is it some kind of weapon?" Shen asked.

"I doubt it Shen, it's probably more of a defense mechanism of some kind, though I don't know how I triggered it or how I got out of it even. Furthermore, I don't know why I fainted afterwards." Aang finished with his head hung a little low.

"Well, there's good news General" Began Kenji.

"We are headed towards the Western Airtemple, I figured you would want to ask the council for advice on what to do next as well as to warn them of the imminent threat that the firenation is to them." Kenji said with a smile.

"I guess I could also ask the council on this Avatar spirit business." Aang said with a small smile and non-committal shrug of his shoulders.

"Okay guys, I guess we should start looking for a place to land so that Appa can rest for the night" Aang concluded.

"Sounds like a good idea General" Shu said as he began to observe the setting sun.

After about an hour, they found an island to camp for the night, the small group made up camp, ate their dinners, and separated to sleep for the night.

As Aang went to bed, his tattoos glowed briefly and as Aang opened his eyes, Roku was in front of him: "Hello Aang, it's good to see you again." Roku said with a small smile playing on his features.

"Avatar Roku" Aang said with a deep bow: "It is an honor to finally meet you."

"The honor is all mine Aang. I wish to speak to you about something of utmost importance."

"Which is?" Aang began.

"The Avatar State" Roku stated calmly.

"What is that exactly?" Aang questioned.

"It is the time where you are at your strongest Aang, as well as your weakest. Your eyes and tattoos glow and you are empowered by all of the strength of the previous Avatars combined. They will control your actions and keep you safe in times of dire need. At first, the Avatar state serves as a powerful defense mechanism to a young and learning Avatar. But when the time comes when the Avatar has mastered all four elements, he will begin his training on mastering the Avatar state." Roku finished.

"But I haven't mastered any of the other elements yet, heck, I haven't even began my training yet! Why are you telling me this Avatar Roku?" Aang questioned with an air of worry in his voice.

"I am telling you this because you have to begin your training in the other elements, a war is coming Aang, you have seen the first strikes of it. Let me confirm in your mind, that these will not be the last either. You need to prepare yourself and your people for what is to come. The Avatar is to learn water, than earth, fire, than air. Since you know air, the next element you need to learn is water. Make you way to the North pole in haste."

"But what about the Western temple? Shouldn't I warn them of the attack?"

"I am sorry young Avatar, but you are too late. The temple has been decimated by firenation raids, the council is gone and so are most of the nomads who lived in that temple." Ruko finished this last comment with downcast eyes and a heavy heart.

Aang had tears in his eyes: "I was too late… I could have saved them! I could have been quicker!"

Before Aang could completely give into self-loathing, Roku pulled him back to reality: "NO! You must not blame yourself, it was meant for you to leave the temple before it was burned to the ground, you would not have survived the onslaught. I am sorry to say, but you must move on from this, the other temples know of the attacks now. You must focus on your training as the Avatar."

"Head North, find a master to teach you , and prepare for what is to come." Roku finished.

Aang only solemnly nodded "Thank you for your wisdom Roku. I will do as you instructed."

Roku only smiled as he disappeared. Aang found himself back in his bed, though he did also notice that it was late morning by the looks of it.

"You're finally awake General" Tia said with a wink and a smile.

"Ready to head to the Western Air Temple General?" Asked Kenji.

"There has been a change of plans Kenji, we aren't heading back to the Western Air Temple… We are heading North to the pole."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but shouldn't we get to the Western Air Temple as soon as possible to warn the others?" Kenji stated with an air of confusion.

"There isn't anyone left to warn." Aang said while looking down.

"What?!" Everyone said at once.

"I had a spirit journey last night with Avatar Roku, he explained the Avatar State to me as well as what I needed to do."

"What did he exactly tell you about the temple General?" Shu asked.

Aang looked defeated at this point: "He told me that the temple was raided and the few survivors ran away, everyone else was killed."

"That only leaves two temples left. More than Half our people are gone…. He will pay for this." Tia said.

"Silence!" Kenji said.

"It's ok Kenji" the General said: "I understand her anger and I want her to be able to express it. I'd much rather hear than when she has to make important decisions."

When everyone nodded their approval, he continued: "Roku said that I needed to master the elements before I master the Avatar State. He said that a war was immanent and that I needed to master waterbending as soon as possible."

"Then that's what we will do" Tia said with a look of fierce determination in her eyes.

To the North Pole.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey all, I know I haven't updated in almost a week, so I thought I'd put out another chapter for General Aang. I'd like to say that it has taken sort of a backburner role, though it is still my first and dearest story to my heart. It really hasn't gotten the love that my other two stories have gotten, which sorta makes me want to believe that I haven't really done a good job, maybe it needs an overhaul? Let me know guys.**

**Onto the next chapter!**

Ch. 8

Before they could take off, Shu interjected: "I'm sorry if this sounds out of line general, but I would suggest we head south towards the South Pole."

"Why is that Shu?" Kenji asked, slightly confused.

"I mean no disrespect while saying this, but the firenation is likely already blockading the North Pole, besides, the Southern Airtemple is the last Temple that we know of that hasn't been destroyed yet. It would make sense to be closer to that temple so that we could stop and aid in its defense on our way." Shu concluded.

"What you're saying does make a lot of sense, we will head north, along the earthkingdom coast so that we run into less trouble." Aang said.

"Sounds like a plan General, let's get going before it gets too late into the day though." Kenji finished as everyone boarded Appa again for what they knew was going to be a long ride.

The weeks passed fairly quickly and so did their food rations. The group quickly decided that they could not be seen in many towns as it was too dangerous for them at this point to be out in public, it would give away their location and direction to the firenation which was something they did not want to risk doing.

When the food was almost out though, the group of five had little choice but to head into a firenation colony that Aang knew all too well. "I know this place" Aang began: "I had an old friend that lived here. Sung was always well known for their Silks and clothing, that was what made Kuzon's family so rich."

"Maybe we should buy new clothes General, so we don't give ourselves away so easily" Tia suggested.

"Good idea, maybe Kuzon still lives here?" Aang said aloud thoughtful.

His question was soon answered as another voice was heard from behind them. "Is that you Aang?!" Kuzon nearly screamed.

"Yes it's me Kuzon. It's good to see you." Aang replied with a hug and a smile. The remainder of the group was still on high alert though. Seeing this, Kuzon quickly eased their minds. "Relax guys, this town might be firenation, but we don't agree with what the firelord is doing, its genocide for Spirit's sake!"

Everyone visibly relaxed at this, taking a less defensive stances than what they were.

"You guys can stay at my family's house, it's pretty big and it has enough room to hide your bison if you want Aang" Kuzon said with a small smile.

"Thank you for your kindness old friend."

"Anything for the Avatar" Mocked Kuzon as he slightly punched him in the arm.

That night, Aang introduced his companions to both Kuzon and his parents. His parents where excited to see that Aang was doing well and immediately agreed to allowing him to stay for as long as he wanted.

After dinner, everyone retired to their separate rooms. As Aang was about to fall asleep, he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." Aang tiredly said.

He immediately woke up when he noticed that both Kenji and Tia entered his room. "What can I do for you, it's pretty late guys."

"We know General, it's just me and Tia have been talking about something and would like to get your opinion on it." Kenji began.

"I'm all ears." Aang said as he stood up and motions for them to follow him to a small seating area by his bed.

"So what's on your minds?" Aang repeated.

"We know that the Avatar cycle says that you should master water, than earth, than fire, than air. Logically, water would be the next element that you should try to learn and I realize that. But a war is starting, a war coming from the firenation. I can imagine that soon, most fire benders will be forced to join the military and those who don't will probably not want to teach you."

"What are you getting at guys?" Aang said with a look of confusion on his face.

"Well." Tia started: "We know that Kuzon is a firebender and a good friend of yours. We thought that maybe he could begin your training a little bit while we are here. You know, just the basics. It is safe here and we don't have to worry for a little while, so we can stay for a couple of days, than make our way to the Southern Airtemple and then to the South Pole so you can begin to master waterbending. We just thought it would be a good idea." Tia finished with a quick exhale.

Aang mulled it over in his mind for a few minutes. _I do have a firebender who probably would be willing to teach me and I don't know when I will get another opportunity like this again…._ "Did you ask Kuzon what he thought of it?"

Tia only smiled: "We asked him and he thought it was a great idea, he said that he could start in the morning."

Aang rolled his eyes: "So you guys went behind my back then" Aang said with mock annoyance.

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way, but I guess it could be seen like that." Tia said lamely.

"I'm just messing with you, it's a good idea, tell Kuzon that I would love to train with him starting tomorrow." Aang said finishing with a reassuring smile.

Tia smiled back at him: "Yes sir."

With this, both Tia and Kenji bid Aang goodnight and were off to tell Kuzon about training with their general in the morning.

The next morning came all too quickly as Aang opened his eyes to the sunlight as well as a person staring at him. Immediately, he jump out of bed and entered a fighting stance. He soon relented when he noticed who it was.

"Don't do that to me Kuzon" Aang complained as he relaxed from his fighting stance.

"Well sorry mister Avatar, I've been waiting for you to wake up for forever!"

Aang just grumbled, when he looked out the window, he soon noticed that it was barely dawn.

"Kuzon, why are you up so early!" Aang asked.

"You gotta remember that I am a firebender. I rise with the sun and so will you soon. We should probably get started on the training since you are wide awake and all." Kuzon finished with a spring in his step as he motioned for Aang to get dressed and follow him.

As Aang and Kuzon walked outside, he was suddenly thankful that Kuzon had woken him up, not just for the beauty and tranquility of dawn in the earthkingdom, but also because it was going to be a very hot day today and the coolness of the morning was a relief to him.

In a few minutes time, they found a small flat plain with nothing to burn on it. Kuzon stopped and spoke: "This should be the perfect place to begin firebending practice Aang."

Aang nodded in agreement and waited for him to continue.

"How much do you know about the art of firebending Aang?"

Aang was deep in thought for a few moments: "I know it is the only element that actually comes from within you, firebending is from the heart, it breaths."

"That's a good start Aang." Kuzon began: "But don't forget the obvious things. Fire is dangerous, it is hard to control, and once released, you do not command it."

"I want you to mirror my stance." Kuzon said: "It is the basic stance of firebending, it is used for breathing techniques and for balance."

Aang did as he was told, though Kuzon had to correct him a few times, after a few minutes, Kuzon continued: "Now, I need you to breathe deeply in and exhale through you noes."

Aang continued to breathe as Kuzon observed him for a few minutes, Kuzon stood up and began to walk away. Aang called after him: "What do I do next?"

"Did I tell you to stop breathing? I'll come back when I want you to stop." With that, Kuzon went back to the house to grab some food.

**Tia and Kenji:**

Both Tia and Kenji awoke early in the morning, making their way down to the kitchen to grab some fruit to eat for breakfast. As they were just about finished, Kuzon entered the room. "So how goes Aang's firebending practice?" Tia asked while trying to start up a conversation.

"It's been going as well as I suspected. I left him out in the yard to practice his stance and breathing techniques."

Both Kenji and Tia just gaped at him: "You made an airbender go over their breathing techniques?"

Kuzon just looked confused: "Well yah. He had to have a base to learn firebending. I know he knows how to breathe like an airbender, but breathing like a firebender is completely different. It doesn't come from your lungs but rather your core. Once he has mastered that, I will beginning his control exercises."

"I guess that makes sense" Kenji said.

Both Shu and Shen walked into the room. "Where is the General?" Shen spoke aloud.

"He is out breathing" Kuzon replied non-chalantly.

Shu and Shen looked utterly confused until Tia clarified it for them: "The basics of firebending guys."

"I thought that we were headed to the Southern Airtemple and then the South Pole for the General to learn waterbending?" Shu spoke, clearly confused.

"I guess it makes a little sense, seeing as though not many firebenders would want to teach the General firebending, especially since this war is coming."

"Exactly Shen, that's why we need to stay for a few weeks so that the General can at least learn some of the basics, than we can acquire some scrolls and he can teach himself the rest." Kenji said.

"Sounds like a pretty good plan to me" continued Kuzon as he munched down on his fruit. "I guess I should probably go back out there and see how Aang is doing with the breathing."

**Aang:**

As Aang continued his breathing, he found that it felt a lot like meditating did. He genuinely felt relaxed. He could feel the heat on his back, the wind blowing in the trees, the grass warming under him, and the faint noise of someone walking up towards him.

At this Aang stops his breathing and opens his eyes. "How did I do?"

"Pretty good, I guess we can start with the next exercise now." Kuzon said with a smile.

Aang let out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding. "Are we going to make fire yet?"

Kuzon laughed: "Good one buddy, here, took this leaf." Kuzon plucked a leaf off a nearby tree and handed it to Aang.

"Like I said before, fire is life, you have to be able to control it because it is also really dangerous. I want you to keep the flame from burning this leaf for as long as you can. Understand?"

"Yah, I think I do." Aang said with not as much confidence or enthusiasm as he would if he was actually bending.

When Kuzon set the leaf on fire, it began to spread. Aang panicked a little and the leaf was completely consumed. "I think we need to try this again, this time, focus on the leaf Aang."

Aang nodded in affirmation before he got into the stance that Kuzon had previously taught him. "Okay Aang, here is another leaf. Try again."

Aang took the offered leaf from Kuzon and held it, attempting to prevent the leaf from burning up. To his surprise, it was burning at a much slower pace that what he had expected. The first leaf lasted less than 30 seconds, while this leaf lasted nearly 15 once Aang was forced to drop it to the ground. The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to extend the amount of time in which Aang could prevent the leaves from burning. By the end of the day, Aang had been able to hold the leaf for over 2 hours which Kuzon thought was a major accomplishment.

As Kuzon and Aang walked back to the house, Kuzon spoke: "I think you'll be ready for actual firebending tomorrow." Before Aang could get too excited, Kuzon quickly stopped him: "Just the basic kind though."

When Aang and Kuzon entered the house, they were immediately met with an amazing aroma, an aroma Aang new all too well. "What is that amazing smell Aang? It smells delicious!" Kuzon began, while his mouth started to water ever so slightly.

"I'm glad you like it" Tia said from the kitchen: "The General taught me how to make it."

"You have to give me that recipe Aang!" Kuzon begged.

Aang chuckled and shook his head: "Sorry Kuzon, ancient airnomad recipe. Can't tell you."

"Not cool Aang" Kuzon huffed.

"Dinner's up guys!" Tia yelled from the kitchen. Soon everyone had filled their bowls and entered the dining room to eat. "This tastes even better than it smells" Kuzon said, but most of the table on heard small parts of his sentence because his mouth was constantly being filled with more soup.

"Hey General, me and Shen wanted to talk to you about something." Shu said, his voice slightly wavering.

"What's up?" Aang said curiously as he took another bite of his meal.

"Well General… We were wondering if it was alright if we both made our way to the Southern Airtemple while you stayed here." The General appeared to be mulling the idea over in his mind for a few moments until he spoke: "Why do you two want to go to the Airtemple early?"

"We both feel as though the Airtemple should be warned of the potential attack, we have to prepare them, besides, there isn't much to do while we are here so…." Shu finished.

"I understand, I think it's an amazing idea. I think all of you should go. Take Appa as well. It should take you about 2 days to get there though, so be sure to take plenty of food and supplies with you." Aang finished with a smile: "Best of luck and make sure that Temple is ready the firenation."

"But General!" Tia and Kenji said in Unison.

"No buts guys, it's an order." Aang finished firmly.

"But how will you reach the Temple?" Kenji asked, hoping he had stumped him into letting them stay.

Aang only laugh, foreseeing this problem, Aang counteracted it: "You can send Appa back with Tia of she would be so kind." Aang finished with a bright smile.

Tia smiled as well: "No problem sir, I'll bring him back."

"Thank you General, we will leave tomorrow morning" Shen finished with a bow.

"Let's all get some sleep" Aang said to no one in particular.

The next morning was bitter sweet, Tia and Kenji did not want to leave the General alone while Shu and Shen looked more than excited to get to the Southern Airtemple.

As they all said their goodbyes, Appa took off towards the South. Soon after they left, Aang began his firebending training.

"Ok Aang, it's your turn to start making some fire. So get in your stance." Kuzon instructed.

Aang immediately slipped into a perfect breathing stance. "Now Aang, I need for you to focus on something that is important to you, use that energy and let it flow through your body and threw your fists."

Aang obeyed his orders: _What fills my spirit, what do I draw my energy from. He thought of his home, he thought of Giatzo, he thought of his new military friends, he thought of Kuzon and Appa and Bumi. There are so many people and places that fill me up… How can a choose just one?_ Something clicked in Aang's mind and he let the energy flow through him. Like a flood gate, the energy went through his arm and he punched forward with a fist. What happened next, he truly did not expect. A jet of fire burst from his hand, a very powerful fire at that. It was so large that Kuzon had to take a few steps back. "Woah! I think we need to teach you some control techniques again!" Kuzon stated, a little nervously.

"No, I'll try harder, I just didn't think about it the first time!" Aang stated, frantically trying to not have to go back to breathing and protecting leaves…

"Ok! Ok! Try it again, this time, try not to singe my eyebrows." Kuzon added jokingly.

The day was filled with serious moments as well as joking moments. Though Aang was an adult, he was still a kid at heart, something he could not show to his men often, otherwise they wouldn't take him as seriously.

**Aang learning Fire Bending before he learns waterbending? Is this a bad omen for him? Next chapter will be up once my schedule clears a little, thanks for reading guys.**


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